FIFA’s Haiti jersey ban echoes the long campaign to discredit and downplay the Haitian Revolution

FIFA banned Haiti's original jersey due its nod to the Haitian Revolution on the right hip of the jersey. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Ahead of its first match in the 2026 World Cup, the Haitian national soccer team was forced to make a last-minute change. But it didn’t have anything to do with its roster or travel plans. It was the team’s jersey.

FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, said the jersey design violated its rules, which ban political slogans or imagery.